From Labs to Life: PhD Journeys Unplugged
From coffee breaks to career tips, students explored the twists and turns of the PhD journey with those who’ve walked the path before them.
Two projects from the MU Faculty of Science have advanced into the TOP 10 of Masaryk University’s ‘Start Your Business’ competition
Natural scientists Matej Zámečník, with his ‘Spicy Cell’ project, and Eliška Pivrncová, with her ‘LactoPads’ project, have made it to the TOP 10 of the ‘Start Your Business’ competition, and therefore move on to the second round. They can now work on improving their projects before they demonstrate them once again at the next presentation on April 24, 2024.
This year, the fourth year this student competition has been held, 34 teams from nine Masaryk University faculties applied, including teams of undergraduates and of PhD students. The expert committee then selected 18 of these first-round projects, including four from SCI MUNI, to advance to the next round. During the selection process, the commission not only assessed the business potential of each team’s idea, but they also provided valuable feedback to the students and advised them on how to further advance their projects.
The Spicy Cell project of Matej Zámečník, a student of the Experimental Plant Biology programme, introduces people to the gastronomic experience and health benefits of “red gold”. Problems associated with breastfeeding are addressed through the LactoPads project of PhD student Eliška Pivrncová of the Environment and Health study programme. In the first round, Petra Kalousková, also a student of the Environment and Health program, presented her PoRůst program, which introduces innovative improvements to company culture and employee productivity. A virtual assistant named Veronica, which can help classify important information from noisy sound data, was introduced by astrophysicist Jean-Paul Breuer.
The expert jury this year included Alena Šafrová Drášilová, from the Faculty of Economics and Administration, and Radoslav Trautmann, from the MU Technology Transfer Centre, Libor Hoření, from the South Moravian Innovation Centre, and investors Miloš Dendis, from Dendis Capital, and Jakub Losenicky, from V# Venture Studio, both of whom are also partners of the competition.
